Ta-She-Ra Manning (left) and Allison Birkle (right) demonstrate how doulas in training use the "Liv" mannequin for real world application. Photo by Alex Scott

A wellness center’s new flagship initiative is working to change the way Fresno addresses Black maternal health for expecting mothers and their babies.

Founded by Shantay Davies-Balch, Fresno’s Black Wellness and Prosperity Center’s (BWPC) works to improve Black maternal and infant health outcomes through advocacy and education.

As part of its mission to support health equity and improve health outcomes in the community, Kaiser Permanente recently awarded a $95,000 grant to support BWPC’s flagship Black Doula initiative. The initiative will help recruit and train doulas to provide responsive non-medical support to pregnant women and their families during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

According to BWPC, the doula program will help address the doula provider deficit and provide Black expecting mothers with access to health care services that will help decrease health disparities.

As part of this program, the training facility uses a patient simulator “Liv” — a life-sized medical mannequin that moves, talks, has a heartbeat and demonstrates vital functions like breathing, and also gives birth. Liv helps doulas in training learn to be comfortable in the delivery room and with patients in active labor, to best assist mothers during birth.

Kaiser Permanente is taking the initiative on how to address potential risk factors for Black mothers and working to combat them in order to ensure the best care for their maternity patients, said Lissa Francois, MD, Ob/Gyn.

 

“When you have one point person who’s integrally involved with their care, who then can have an immediate response to their providers, in terms of what the next best step is management, then that decreases the risk,” said Francois.

According to BWPC, Fresno is facing a Black maternal and child health and infrastructure crisis, with Black women in Fresno experiencing preterm birth at a rate of 13.5% whereas the rate among White women is 9%.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. Factors contributing to this disparity include variation in quality health care, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism and implicit biases, and more.

Francois is a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Kaiser Permanente, where she provides care to high risk obstetrical patients and ensures healthy outcomes for mothers and their infants.

“It’s my job to ensure that those risk factors are typically modifiable, and that I do everything within the management scheme to modify those risk factors,’ said Francois.

Certain environmental factors also play a role in the health of Black expecting mothers, specifically air quality and pollution, said Dr. Venise Curry.

“We know that it does impact the immune system. Over the course of time, the overexposure of PM 2.5, which are very, very small particles that are ingested and inhaled by the mom, can negatively impact her pregnancy,” said Curry.

According to Curry, excessive heat is another risk factor for expecting mothers. She emphasizes that having tree cover can lower the temperature and directly affects the health of expecting mothers by protecting them from excessive heat. However, Fresno does not have an abundance of tree cover, making it hard for mothers to find sanctuary during the triple digit weather, she said.

“Excessive heat for a mom is very dangerous, and often we lose moms because of excessive heat,” said Curry.

According to Curry, one way to reduce the risk of excessive heat is to add more tree canopy and invest in infrastructure in an effort to remove pollutants from the air and create a healthier environment.

In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, BWPC will be holding a community celebration and health fair Saturday at its headquarters at 2201 Calaveras St., Fresno, CA 9372. The event will hold giveaways such as pregnancy care bags, as well as prizes including strollers, cribs, air filters and more. Guests will also have the opportunity to learn practical and supportive tips from doctors, nurses and other care professionals.